FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE

INTERIOR DESIGNER’S GUIDE TO CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN THE EPISODE:

HOW MANAGING OVERLY INVOLVED CLIENTS STARTS WITH THE VETTING

WHAT TO DO IF THIS HAPPENS AFTER YOU’VE ALREADY BEEN WORKING TOGETHER

HOW INVOLVED CLIENTS ARE ACTUALLY BENEFICIAL WHEN MANAGED CORRECTLY

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The Art of Client Vetting

Have you ever had an overly enthusiastic client take over your project?

You may be thinking well, I don’t really want my clients to be involved. But I think that’s actually a mindset issue and not necessarily one you truly mean. Because if a client isn’t involved, you may as well be designing a hotel or something static that people really won’t be living in day in and day out. 

Even if we’re doing a second home and they’re not going to be living there all the time, success is still derived from having it reflect the owners of that home – whether they’re there one week of the year or every day of the year. 

When you say you don’t want your client to be involved,  I know what you mean: you don’t want a client who is overly involved. And this IS a problem. I’ve had plenty of them, so I’m happy to explain in today’s episode how I manage those same situations.

This can start with the initial phone calls and making sure that you’re vetting these clients appropriately. 

This doesn’t mean you can ask the question, “How involved do you want to be?” Because you’re never going to get the true answer you’re looking for. They’re not going to say, “Oh, gee Renee, I think I’m going to be a pain in the ass. Does that work for you?”

You’re never going to get that, but you may be able to read between the lines by their enthusiasm or the way they answer the question. And if they are extremely excited and enthusiastic, there’s nothing wrong with that as long as you’re prepared to take on that level of management for the client, not just the project. Because, ofcourse, there’s going to be expectations that are probably pretty high, and you’re going to have to pull the balloon strings back down to earth and explain all the situations to them again and again, and probably again.

A Real-Life Case Study:

In today’s episode, you’ll get to hear how a designer reached out to me and shared how she was going through this after she had already been working with the client and how I suggested she resolve it and gain back control.

This situation was something the designer could never have foreseen, but it is a good reality check to keep in mind when vetting new clients. What kind of involvement are they saying they want, and what kind of involvement are you reading between the lines that you’re going to have to deal with? 

Making Informed Decisions:

And then you’re going to have to make decisions accordingly. You can decide to move on and not take the project. You can decide to take the project and bill accordingly if you think this client is going to be heavily involved. There will be inevitable questions and meetings along the way that you can’t predict from a previous project that you didn’t have a client doing. 

Enthusiastic clients can bring passion and energy to your design projects, but they can also pose challenges. By honing your vetting process, setting expectations, and making informed decisions, you can successfully manage these situations.

If any of this leaves you with more questions than answers, please feel free to reach out to me!